A day after the unexpected, high-profile death of a parish member he has known for nearly two decades, a Utica priest is offering comfort to community members and encouraging prayer for Macomb County Circuit Judge Jennifer Faunce and her two children.

"We have to be with them all the time, to pray for them and support them, especially during this time of Christmas," Father Roman Pasieczny of St. Lawrence Church said Saturday.

Officials in Sterling Heights and Warren said they are reeling from news of the Friday death of Daryl Y. Brown, 50, a retired Sterling Heights police sergeant who was hit by a suspected drunken driver while crossing the street in front of the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit.

"Daryl, with his wife Jennifer, raised a beautiful family," Pasieczny said. "I will remember him as a gentle, kind, loving and dedicated family man and friend who served his community 100 percent. I share deeply in the grief with his family and friends."

On Saturday, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office announced that a 30-year-old Detroit man was arraigned in the hit-and-run crash that killed Brown, who at about 2:15 a.m. was crossing East Jefferson Avenue at Beaubien when he was hit by a silver Pontiac. Jimi Pierowich was charged with "operating while intoxicated causing death," according to a news release.

Pierowich, who initially fled the scene, was located and arrested and cooperative with investigators, according to police. Detroit police and medics were dispatched to the scene and took Brown to a local hospital, where he died.

1999 photo of Jennifer Faunce when she was in the state legislature.(Photo: Michigan House Republicans)

The Wayne County Prosecutor's office said in a statement: “This is a very sad case. Mr. Brown was a man who dedicated his life to protect the public from harm. The alleged acts of the defendant took retired Sgt. Brown, from his family, friends, and the citizens of Sterling Heights.”

Sterling Heights Police Chief Dale Dwojakowski said that Brown dedicated 26 years to the city as a road officer, narcotics officer and a sergeant in the traffic safety bureau. Brown made many drunken-driving arrests as a first responder.

“We investigated hundreds of serious car crashes and pedestrian injuries every single week, and this is how he gets killed — crossing the street by a drunk driver,” Dwojakowski said Friday.

He said Brown was downtown with family, and he believed he was going to stay at a hotel for the night with his cousin.

Brown retired in June 2017 and had been working security, Dwojakowski said. A Michigan State University sports fan, he often helped others.

“Just such good people," Dwojakowski said. "I’m at a loss. Gone way too soon.”

Devastation is felt throughout the state, Pasieczny said. "This is a monumental loss."

He served as pastor for 14 years at Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Warren and met the family there. Callers have been contacting Pasieczny in sadness and distress, he said. "All just say this is a tragedy, tragedy, tragedy."

The power of prayer is critical at this time, he said, expressing concern for the widow as she begins funeral arrangements. Faunce is well respected and known throughout the community, Pasieczny said.

Faunce previously served two terms as a state representative from 1999 to 2003.

She chaired the Committee on Criminal Justice as a lawmaker representing Warren and Sterling Heights. In 2003, she became a judge in the 37th District Court. In 2013, she was appointed to her current, circuit court role by Gov. Rick Snyder. She was elected in 2014.

She is a graduate of Michigan State University and the University of Detroit School of Law. Her ties to the people of Lansing, Detroit, Warren and Sterling Heights are strong.

In addition, her sister Suzanne Faunce is a district court judge in Warren.

The City of Sterling Heights is in mourning, the city said in a new release. City officials asked that the public keep the widow and their 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter in thoughts and prayers.